"Showed Everyone That He Can Deliver In Longer Formats" - Ashish Nehra Lauds Rinku Singh
Published - 02 Dec 2023, 01:58 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:23 AM
Former fast bowler Ashish Nehra has praised Rinku Singh for justifying his selection in India’s ODI squad for the upcoming series against South Africa. Ashish Nehra emphasized that Rinku Singh demonstrated his ability to perform well in the longer white-ball format.
Rinku Singh played a crucial innings, guiding Team India to a total of 174/9 in the fourth T20I of the ongoing series against Australia in Raipur on Friday, December 1. The left-handed batter scored 46 runs off 29 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and two maximums.
Rinku Singh Got To Bat Early Today – Ashish Nehra
During a discussion on JioCinema, Ashish Nehra emphasized that Rinku Singh’s impressive Ranji Trophy average close to 50 showcases his capabilities beyond T20s. Nehra mentioned that Singh’s inclusion in the 50-over format is a significant positive for India.
“Firstly, everyone needs to understand that you know Rinku Singh more because of T20s, but don’t forget he has an average close to 50 even in the Ranji Trophy. He has been picked in the 50-over team as well, so the selectors would have seen something,” Nehra told Jio Cinema.
“It is a massive plus for the Indian team that you have selected him in the 50-over format and he got to bat early today and showed everyone that he can deliver in such a scenario as well,” he added.
Rinku Singh formed crucial partnerships with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Jitesh Sharma, rescuing the team from a score of 63/3. He contributed 48 and 56 runs with them for the fourth and fifth wickets, respectively. Ruturaj scored 32 off 28 balls, while Jitesh contributed 35 off 19.
Might Have Been Stopped At 160 – Ashish Nehra
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Rinku Singh demonstrated his versatility beyond being a finisher. Nehra acknowledged that Rinku’s knock could have influenced the team’s final score.
“The most important thing was that he came in the ninth or tenth over today, he didn’t come in the 17th or 18th over. We have seen him many times after the 16th over or so, but the sort of knock he played was praiseworthy, and the team needed that,” Nehra further added.
“There was a time when it seemed they (India) could reach 190 as well but if you had lost Rinku Singh’s wicket at that stage, you might have been stopped at 160. Whether you would have won or lost that match, it is something for later,” he concluded.
